It’s time for some real talk. You guys know that I typically focus on whole food, plant-based recipes here on Hello Fun Seekers. But sometimes you need something else. Call it comfort food or Super Bowl food, or whatever you need to justify this delicious but in no-way-healthy dish.
I want to share with you guys a dirty little secret of mine. I love tator tots, despite the fact that they represent everything that I hate in food. Frankenfood. This is what I like to call processed food made in a factory that bears little resemblance to the natural food from whence it came. What the hell are those ingredients?
That being said, I love tator tots. I can’t help myself. But, I do try to limit my tator tot fix to the occasional treat. This recipe is nod to our neighbors to the North. Canadians have an unparalleled level of expertise on hockey, beer, and poutine. For the uninitiated, poutine is traditionally a snack of French fries, cheese curds, and brown gravy.
In general, I am not a fan of fried foods and never fry food in my kitchen. The mess! The smell! No thank you. But, I can get 100% behind baking a tray of tots. See the note in the recipe for tips on crisping up baked tots.
The key to this Tator Tot Poutine is timing. You want all the components to come together at the same time. Layering the hot Tater Tots, room temperature cheese curds, and bubbling gravy all come together is the key to successful poutine. So, be sure to have all your ingredients prepped and think through the timing of this dish so it will be perfect.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 1/2 package frozen Tator Tots
- 2 cups gravy (from a packet, a jar, or homemade veggie gravy)
- 8 oz cheese curds
- 4 green onions sliced thin
- salt
- pepper
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 425. Take cheese curds out of fridge. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Place 1/2 of the bag of frozen tator tots onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then, use a spatula to flip tots and put back into the oven to bake 10-12 more minutes or until golden brown.
- After you flip the tots, start preparing the gravy mixture, unless you are making gravy from scratch, in which case you may want to start the gravy earlier. You want the gravy to be hot when the tots come out of the oven.
- Layer tots, cheese curds, tots, cheese curds, then pour half the gravy over the top. Sprinkle with green onion, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately with the rest of the gravy on the side for dipping or adding more gravy to the tots.
Notes: Although tots cooked in the oven will not achieve the crispiness of a tot that is deep fried, here are a few tips for making crispy tots in the oven, spray the baking sheet with cooking spray. Then, spray the tots with cooking spray when they are on the baking sheet before you put them in the oven. Be sure to rotate the pan and flip the tots halfway through cooking. Finally, move the baking pan to the top rack in the oven and broil for a few minutes to give the tots a crispy finish. I served the tator tot poutine in a pie pan which worked great. I recommend using a serving dish that has a bit of bowl rather than a flat plate so the gravy doesn’t spill over the edge.
If you are looking for other comfort food or Super Bowl recipes, may I recommend?
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